PROMINENT councillor Terry Kelly has vowed he will be back at the centre of local politics after his heart-attack scare – as long as the doctors allow it.

The veteran Labour man took ill on January 2 and spent four nights in Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital.

On doctor’s orders, he’s taken a back seat from his duties, with his Labour colleague in the Paisley North West ward, Councillor Tommy Williams, taking on his workload.

But the 63-year-old told the Paisley Daily Express he’s determined to be back and will stand again in the local government elections on May 3.

He said: “I’ve been selected as a candidate for the same ward, as has Councillor Williams.

“I have no intention of standing down but the final word will not be mine. The doctors still have tests to run.”

Councillor Kelly, who’s been an elected member for 12 years, was at home in Greenhill Road, Paisley, with his wife Isobel, when he felt unwell.

He said: “I was at home in the early evening. It’s difficult to describe how I felt.

“I was in the back room watching TV and I came through to the living room to lie on the couch and have a sleep.

“After about 15 minutes, I was feeling wee pains in my chest. It never occurred to me that it could be a heart attack.

“After about an hour, the pain got quite sore and wasn’t going away and I started getting pains in my arm, which is a warning as well.

“My wife phoned NHS24 and a paramedic came out quite quickly and did some tests then phoned an ambulance.

“They took me to the RAH, where they did some more tests, and I was there for four days.”

Doctors have still to assess the damage done to Councillor Kelly’s heart but he is now on doctors’ orders to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“I’ve been given a lot of instructions about losing weight, exercising more, eating and drinking less,” he said.

“I have to be honest, I need to do something. It’s not as if I’m 40 and can get away with it.

“It was a wake-up call.

“It was always the joke when I would hear about some people being unwell, I would say: ‘I’m glad I’ve looked after myself then’. But this time it’s not so funny.”

Councillor Kelly is being looked after by his wife of 39 years, Isobel, 58, with help from their children, Claire, Brendan and Rayleen, who was a Labour councillor for the former Seedhill ward in 2003.

Tragically, their other son, Terence, died from leukaemia in 1996.

The couple also have three grandchildren – Hannah, seven, Joseph, four and two-year-old Ross – and two dogs, Mollie and Bessie.

Councillor Kelly heaped praise on the doctors and nurses who looked after him during his stay in hospital, particularly those in the acute medical unit.

He said: “They were brilliant. I can’t praise them enough. It’s a part of the NHS the vast majority of people don’t get to see.”

Councillor Kelly writes an outspoken blog where he expresses his views on everything from the Royal Family to the conflict in Israel.

And, as expected, he’s also shared his hospital experience with his followers.

He said: “I wrote an article about the incident on my blog. When you’ve been through these things it’s difficult for anything you write or say not to be gushing.

“I was so impressed because that ward I was in was one of the biggest eye-openers. What they have to deal with and the way they deal with it is incredible.

“I am keeping up with the blog. The doctor has told me not to argue with anyone but that’s not easy!”